1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotating connector applied to a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rotating connector is generally used in a steering system of a vehicle and the like. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-230223 (Patent Document 1) discloses a rotating connector. This rotating connector includes a cylindrical outer case, a cylindrical inner case, a flexible flat cable and multiple idlers. The inner case is housed in the outer case in such a manner as to be concentric with the outer case and rotatable relative to the outer case. A cable accommodation chamber is formed between the inner case and the outer case. The flat cable is housed in the cable accommodation chamber, and wound along the inner periphery of the outer case and along the outer periphery of the inner case. A direction in which the flat cable is wound along the inner periphery of the outer case is made opposite to a direction in which the flat cable is wound along the outer periphery of the inner case by way of a reversed portion of the flat cable. The multiple idlers are rotatably housed in the cable accommodation chamber, and provided in a circumferential direction of an annular slidable member in a way that the idlers are rotatable their own axes, the annular slidable member being configured to reverse the flat cable.
In the rotating connector, the flat cable is wound by the multiple idlers in the cable accommodation chamber. When the flat cable is wound along the inner periphery of the outer case, the flat cable is housed in a space between the outer case and the multiple idlers in the radial direction. When the flat cable is wound along the outer periphery of the inner case, the flat cable is housed in a space between the inner case and the multiple idlers in the radial direction.